With 45 prior arrests, senior citizen gets 5 years for scamming dementia-stricken neighbor out of $50K

Gilbert Vaughn, 64, of East Orange, was sentenced today to five years in state prison for stealing $50,000 from a dementia-stricken neighbor.New Jersey Attorney General's Office

NEWARK — With a criminal record including 45 prior arrests, an East Orange man was sentenced today to five years in state prison for coercing his 90-year-old dementia-stricken neighbor into withdrawing $50,000 from an annuity account.

Gilbert Vaughn, 64, had pleaded guilty on Sept. 26 to insurance fraud, theft, and identity theft. He also is required to pay $50,000 in restitution.

In handing down the sentence, Superior Court Judge Michael L. Ravin said Vaughn knew or should have known “the victim of the offense was particularly vulnerable, incapable of resistance.”

The theft in the current case occurred while Vaughn and the victim were neighbors in an East Orange senior citizens home, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

In July 2013, the victim was placed into a state guardianship by the New Jersey Public Guardian's Office, because of his dementia and the fact that he did not have family members willing or able to help him, authorities said.

Vaughn attended a hearing on the matter, and testified as a witness that the guardianship was necessary to protect the victim from his children, who were taking advantage of his finances, authorities said.

In August 2013, Vaughn began to coerce the victim to withdraw money from an annuity he held. A withdrawal of $50,000 was made before the account was frozen, authorities said.

Vaughn was arrested by Bloomfield police on June 3, 2014 while using the victim’s car, authorities said. When police pulled him over, Vaughn produced the victim’s driver's license and claimed he was the victim, authorities said.

After pleading guilty, Vaughn’s attorney, Elayna Thompson, requested a bail reduction at an Oct. 8 hearing in order for him to get released from jail and pay restitution to the state.

Thompson said Vaughn claimed to have a large portion of that money set aside, and was requesting the bail reduction to post bail, get released and access those funds to turn over to the state.

But Ravin granted the state’s request to revoke Vaughn’s bail, noting that he has six aliases, six social security numbers, and an extensive criminal history.

“If a man lie about his own name…what will not a man lie about,” Ravin said.